patients’ rights

law

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

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Patients' rights are legal entitlements that protect individuals within the healthcare system. These rights are based on the premise that patients retain certain interests and freedoms even when receiving medical care. A key development in patients' rights is the doctrine of informed consent, which requires healthcare providers to share essential information about recommended treatments, including risks, benefits, and alternatives, before obtaining a patient's agreement.1

The Council of Europe's Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997) outlines specific human rights in healthcare, such as equitable access, informed consent, emergency care, and the right to privacy and confidentiality. Many hospitals also have their own patient bills of rights, emphasizing clear communication, accurate information, and patient participation in healthcare decisions. These rights also include quality of care, access to specialists, and the right to refuse treatment. Patients retain fundamental human rights, including privacy and the right to leave a healthcare facility.1

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health law
Patients’ rights
In addition to granting patients the means for the effective redress for negligent injury (which increases the cost of malpractice insurance for physicians—and thus the cost of medical care), malpractice litigation has also promoted what have come to be called patients’ rights.
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In addition to granting patients the means for the effective redress for negligent injury (which increases the cost of malpractice insurance for physicians—and thus the cost of medical care), malpractice litigation has also promoted what have come to be called patients’ rights.
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bioethics
The health care context
…of his patient and the patient’s right to self-determination or autonomy, a right that in the medical context is usually taken to encompass a right to be fully informed about one’s condition and a right to be consulted about the course of one’s treatment. Is a doctor obliged to tell…
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